ROCHESTER, Minn. — People calling from southern Minnesota could soon start popping up on your phone under a new area code.
Final preparations are underway for the rollout of the new 924 area code, which will overlap with the current 507 area code serving southern Minnesota, including communities like Rochester, Austin, Mankato, Winona and Worthington. It will be the first such "area code overlay" in Minnesota; previous area code changes in the state involved carving out a new geographic region from a previous area code.
According to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), new phone lines activated in southern Minnesota may be assigned numbers from either the 507 or 924 area code starting August 30. Phone lines using the current 507 area code in the region will not change.
One thing that will change for some people in southern Minnesota: having to switch to ten-digit dialing instead of seven-digit dialing for local calls. Starting Tuesday, July 30, all local calls will now require an area code plus the phone number or the call will not be completed. State officials say calls that were previously considered to be local will remain as local calls, and no rates or coverage areas will change.
The PUC says most phone systems already follow the ten-digit dialing protocol but older equipment may need to be updated, like security systems, life-alert systems, and personal phone contact lists.
Phone users in southern Minnesota can continue to dial three-digit services like 911, 211, and 988 like before.
The 924 area code will be the eighth to serve the state of Minnesota, following 612 (Minneapolis), 651 (St. Paul and eastern suburbs), 763 (northwest metro), 952 (southwest metro), 320 (central Minnesota), 218 (northern Minnesota) and 507.
